Oncothermia is a widely used and researched method of targeting cancer cells by passing both focused and controlled heat, and an electric field, through cancer tissue.

Published data shows that, when used as a complementary therapy along with traditional medical therapies, oncothermia can significantly improve patients’€™ conditions, prolong survival and enhance quality of life.

Oncothermia can be used with all stages of cancer. It is mainly used with metastatic cancer and advanced solid cancers that are inoperable.

See also Hyperthermia.

The difference between Hyperthermia and Oncothermia lies in how the heat is used. Conventional hyperthermia disperses the heat. Oncothermia, on the other hand, focuses on the tumour. In this way it captures the cancer cells by the frequency they emit. The treatment is more focused and effective.

The area of the body affected by the cancer is positioned between two electrodes. An electric field is generated by the two electrodes. Since cancer cells have a higher conductivity than normal cells, the electric field flows predominantly through the cancer cells, that is, it flows selectively through cancer cells.

The combination of deep heat and the electric field leads to changes in the cancer cell membrane which in turn triggers cell death (known as apoptosis) as well as other effects including:

• Reduction of new blood vessel formation by cancer cells (known as angiogenesis);
• Formation of heat shock proteins on the surface of cancer cells that activate the immune system to recognise the cancer cells;
• Activation of tumour suppressor genes such as p53.

The immune response to oncothermia has been shown to have an effect on distant metastases as well as at the site of the primary tumour; this is known as the abscopal effect.

There are differences between oncothermia and classical hyperthermia at both cellular and physiological level:

• The heat used in oncothermia is absorbed selectively by cancer cells. Due to the focused energy flow of oncothermia, more than 95% of the energy dose is absorbed into the tumour.
• Traditional hyperthermia focuses on temperature, whilst oncothermia works by controlling the absorbed energy, ie. the heat, within the tumour cells. The oncothermia technique results in higher heat absorption within the tumour, with subsequently more potent effects.

Oncothermia can be used with all stages of cancer although its main use is with metastatic cancer and advanced solid cancers that are inoperable.

Some publications on Oncothermia:

The safety and pharmacokinetics of high dose intravenous ascorbic acid synergy with modulated electrohyperthermia in Chinese patients with stage III-IV non-small cell lung cancer.

Modulated Electrohyperthermia in Integrative Cancer Treatment for Relapsed Malignant Glioblastoma and Astrocytoma: Retrospective Multicenter Controlled Study.

Upregulation of heat shock proteins and the promotion of damage-associated molecular pattern signals in a colorectal cancer model by modulated electrohyperthermia.

The use of heat to treat cancer dates back to about 3000 BC. There are several ways to apply heat to tumour cells. Oncothermia is an advanced technique in the field of hyperthermia and is based on the work of Dr. András Szász, a professor of biophysics.

Oncothermia is currently used in 32 countries worldwide with over 200,000 treatments delivered every year. There are many scientific publications showing the benefits of oncothermia in different cancers. Please see below for some of these. More studies can be found in the Oncothermia journal here.

Oncothermia is usually used as a supportive treatment, combined with orthodox chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or with other approaches. Research shows that oncothermia enhances the effects of chemotherapy and reduces the risk of resistance to chemotherapy drugs.

More publications on Oncothermia:

Treatment outcome analysis of chemotherapy combined with modulated electro-hyperthermia compared with chemotherapy alone for recurrent cervical cancer, following irradiation.

In vitro comparison of conventional hyperthermia and modulated electro-hyperthermia.

Electro-hyperthermia up-regulates tumour suppressor Septin 4 to induce apoptotic cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Combined treatment with modulated electro-hyperthermia and an autophagy inhibitor effectively inhibit ovarian and cervical cancer growth.

Comparison of biological effects of modulated electro-hyperthermia and conventional heat treatment in human lymphoma U937 cells.

Modulated electro-hyperthermia enhances dendritic cell therapy through an abscopal effect in mice.

Modulated electro-hyperthermia induced loco-regional and systemic tumor destruction in colorectal cancer allografts.

Oncothermia: a new paradigm and promising method in cancer therapies.
Current status of Oncothermia therapy for lung cancer.

Hyperthermia versus Oncothermia: Cellular Effects in Complementary Cancer Therapy.

Clinical and economic evaluation of modulated electrohyperthermia concurrent to dose-dense temozolomide 21/28 days regimen in the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma